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Non-invasive Nerve Stimulation and Cognitive Training to Improve Cognitive Performance in Healthy Older Adults

NCT04276805 · Status: COMPLETED · Phase: NA · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 45

Last updated 2026-07-27

Study results available
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Summary

Decline in brain health and associated loss of cognitive function in healthy aging decreases quality of life.We need better tools to both enhance brain health and improve cognitive performance in healthy brain aging so that it can be delayed, reduced, or even reversed. The present proposal is designed to evaluate the pairing of cognitive training with a non-invasive neurostimulation technology that has shown promise in both increasing neuroplasticity and in enhancing cognitive performance, transcutaneous vagal nerve stimulation (tVNS).

Conditions

  • Aging

Interventions

DEVICE

Transcutaneous vagal nerve stimulation (tVNS)

The active tVNS group will receive non-invasive stimulation provided by transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation device at 2x sensory threshold (25Hz, 200 μs pulse width) using electrodes placed at the left tragus. The sham group will receive sham stimulation (0x sensory threshold) using electrodes placed on the left earlobe.

BEHAVIORAL

Cognitive training

Cognitive training will be delivered for one hour daily over a two-week period via a web-based program (Posit Science BrainHQ, accessed through www.positscience.com) containing eight adaptive tasks targeting attention, processing speed, and working memory. Participants will complete four randomly selected tasks per hour of training.

Sponsors & Collaborators

Principal Investigators

  • John Williamson, PhD · University of Florida

Study Design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Masking
SINGLE
Model
PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age
65 Years
Max Age
90 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2020-11-17
Primary Completion
2024-09-27
Completion
2024-09-27
FDA Device
Yes

Countries

  • United States

Study Locations

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Entities

Companies

Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT04276805 on ClinicalTrials.gov